The Waiting Game
by Lunaculus
Summary: Cosnach is always waiting. When he's not waiting for the shipments that never get there, he's waiting for something to happen. Something to end the boring monotone of the City of Stone. Luckily for him, his waiting seems to end in the form of an outsider. F!KhajitOC x Cosnach. Might turn M later for violence.
1. Silver-Blood Inn

"Nothing ever changes in the City of Stone." Nothing ever changes and nothing ever should be changed to begin with. People lived by this rule. They went on with their daily lives giving little to no thought to anything beyond the city walls – all except for the rare occasion that something from the outside came inside. Just having a single, lone traveler walk through the city gates with nonchalant footsteps would have been enough to birth whispers, but to think that the same stranger killed a Forsworn spy right upon entering...

It was unheard of.

By midday Cosnach had heard every conceivable rumor there was to hear considering the identity of the stranger. Everything from a simple mercenary to a runaway prisoner in hiding. What seemed to intrigue people the most was the cowl they didn't seem to be willing to pull down. Maybe their face was covered with very visible battle scars or perhaps they were secretly a vampire shielding themselves from the sun. The breeze of whispers blew throughout the time the entire day and, despite not admitting it to himself, Cosnach wasn't completely unphased by it.

Curiosity wasn't really something Cosnach was ashamed of. In fact he found his interest highly justified considering that he had had absolutely nothing to do for months on end. All the shipments to Arleif's seemed to either disappear weirdly or be robbed by Forsworn and bandits. Yet he found himself holding himself back from looking for the stranger, more out of spite than anything else. While the rest of the town seemed to enjoy whispering conspiracies behind people's backs whenever there was a slightest excuse, Cosnach himself had always believed in very simple means to find out solid truths about people. If a stranger were to order simple mead in the tavern, they were most likely a well grounded, common person. If their drink of choice was wine or alto wine, someone more reserved and snobby was likely to be the case.

And if they happened to order Honningbrew or Black-Briar, they were a common person with good taste and a respectably fat pouch of gold in their pocket.

In the end the day was proven too much of a bore to bother resisting his curiosity any longer. Besides, it wasn't like he was going out of his way to catch a glimpse of the stranger. The simple fact was that there was only one inn in town and if there was a stranger around, they were more than likely to come there for a roof above their head. And the inn was definitely a place that Cosnach spent a lot of time in, albeit mostly to avoid having to return to The Warrens. The glow of the huge fireplace in the back was always just barely enough to warm up the grand hall as the stone walls seemed to suck in the warmth, yet remaining cold. It was an oddly pleasant chill. Kept the drinks fresh, that's for sure.

That day was no different from any other day in Markarth, and such was the case inside The Silver-Blood Inn as well. As soon as Cosnach entered, he could hear Kleppr and Frabbi bickering about something that Cosnach could vaguely catch as being about cleaning. Heaving a deep sigh he reached for his coin pouch in his pocket, weighing the lightness of it on his palm.

Nothing too fancy tonight either. Maybe a single bottle of Honningbrew if he'd have the patience to down it sparingly.

Time passed quickly in the almost empty stone hall as Cosnach slowly downed a bottle after a bottle of regular old Nord Mead. The taste wasn't particularly to his fancy and he usually preferred ale, but he knew that choosing that as his drink of choice would tempt him to drink less. He wanted to be at the very least somewhat sober for the possibility of the stranger coming in. Maybe they'd be willing to have a quick chat and god, Cosnach craved a casual conversation with no idication of just passing rumors. Yet, as time passed, the inn was slowly filling up with people doing just that. Gossiping.

"That black armor looks expensive. I bet they're loaded."

"Suspicious is what it looks like. Just keep a close eye on your pockets."

"I heard they spoke with Ghorza at the forge for quite some time."

"They're far too short to be an Orc, though..."

By the time it was dark outside, the stone hall was echoing with chatter. Cosnach leaned his face to his palm tiredly and closed his eyes for a second. The mead was starting to affect him and he already felt the familiar, warm numbness. Yet now it was spiced with disappointment. Maybe the traveler had already carried on their way. Cosnach couldn't blame them. Who would willingly want to sleep on a bed of stone, after all? Even he preferred the somewhat stale stench of a haypile to one of those cold stone beds. Just as he was about to open his mouth to order one last drink, however, the chatter around him came to a freezing halt.

Cosnach's chestnut eyes lifted slightly and saw a figure standing in the doorway leading to the city. The armor they wore was black, seemingly ornate leather scales embracing the slim, yet muscular build of the stranger's body. It had a silvery symbol on the chest that Cosnach had never seen before, resembling what to him seemed like a bird. Their head was covered by a black hood that shadowed their face just the slightest bit despite the light from the chandelier and the fireplace being cast directly at her.

What wasn't shadowed by the hood was hidden behind the cowl that reached up to where their nose would be. Almost as if the stranger was treading to breathe the air that tasted faintly of the smoke from the fireplace accompanied with the damp coldness of the mountainside. The worn cape followed behind them like a shadow as they stepped forward, the light material waving ever so slightly in the rhythm of their footsteps. Upon reaching the counter, a pair of gloved hands clothed in the same darkness as the rest of their body, reached up to pull down the hood with a slow movement. The cowl soon followed. For the slightest second as the fabric fell on their shoulders, Cosnach could swear the entire city was holding its breath.

The pair of furry, large, pointy ears now revealed twitched at the sudden silence. Gleaming, icy blue eyes blinked with the same nonchalance that Cosnach had heard about in the streets earlier. She was used to this kind of treatment, but didn't seem to care enough to be bothered by it.

"Black-Briar Reserve, please."

As soon as the hoarse, purr-like voice had broken the silence, there was an uproar of whispers among the other patrons.

"A Khajit? Inside the walls?"

"I told you they'd be a thief... watch your purse now."

"Another Thalmor puppet, I bet."

"C'mon, go ask them if they have any skooma."

Unable to ignore the remarks, the Khajit sighed tiredly and sat down on a free bench in front of the counter.

"Nord does have a drink for Khajit, no?"

Kleppr's face quickly turned from astonished to alert, with a slight hint of disapproval.

"If you have the coin."

Without a word, a dark gloved hand snuk beneath the waist of the armor, soon to come back holding a coin purse. The Khajit tossed the heavy purse on the counter not too gently and the contents clinked against each other, a couple falling out from the loosely tied opening as the silken bag toppled over. The innkeeper stared at the purse for a lingering moment with hesitation, only to receive a smack on the back of his head from his wife.

"Don't be rude to our guest, you damn pig!" Frabbi scolded with a hiss. The annoyed look on her face disappeared in seconds right after she turned towards the stranger though, melting into a rehearsed smile.

"Black-Briar Reserve, was it? Would you like a tankard or-?"

"Bottle. Khajit has traveled long in this cold land. Misses the warmth of strong brew in her belly."

Frabbi nodded in agreement, kneeling to look over the bottles hidden below the counter for a bit before lifting up a dusty, blue bottle. Clearly embarrassed by the amount of dust, she hurried to wipe it off with the hem of her dress and glared daggers at her husband.

"I told you the shelves are filthy", he growled back at her. "You only clean the floors."

"Well maybe if you lended a helping hand instead of just chatting with the customers all the time-"

"And yet you claim I'm the one who doesn't look after our guests", Kleppr huffed tiredly before shifting his attention towards their odd guest. Unlike his wife, he didn't bother masking his discomfort. "Would you like anything else? Some food? A room?"

"If Nord has fish soup, Khajit would be delighted. Khajit would also like a room."

"Ah, of course. My wife will prepare the meal for you. It shouldn't take too long", came the response. The innkeeper gave a meaningful look to his wife before snatching the blue bottle from her hands.

"In the meantime, here's your bottle. I'll show you to your room once you've had your meal."

The woman grinded her teeth as she left with a stride that was anything but calm. The Khajit merely smirked faintly to herself in amusement, pouring out a couple more Septims on the wooden surface of the counter and pushing them towards Kleppr. She then took the bottle and, without hesitance, opened it and drank a long gulp.

"That coin is no doubt stolen."

"And such an expensive drink, too. How wasteful."

"Is that a cat thing? Talking in third person? Sounds weird."

Trying his damnest to ignore the gossiping, Cosnach eyed the stranger carefully up and down. Her eyes were large and almost appeared glowy, the irises mere dark slits in the light of the inn. She had them lowered to the counter as she leaned her elbow to the wooden surface, the weight of her head resting on her palm. He noted that the fingers beneath the gloves seemed slender, moving with an odd elegance as they tapped gently against her furred cheek.

From the top of her head cascaded a flow of dreadlocks down the back of her head, each one having a small, silvery ring at the end. Her face was mostly a deep dark gray with black, barely visible striped going down her nose and circling her cheekbones. The fur turned lighter towards the bottom half of her face, reaching a really faint gray near her black nose and her lower cheeks.

Her ears, instead of being up and perked, were lowered with an occasional twitch at any particularly nasty comment spoken by the other patrons. This made her look... exhausted. A hint sad, even. Cosnach frowned slightly at the notion, in his intoxication showing his displeasure at the others' cruelty a little more than he would like to. In a burst of will he stumbled up from his bench and approached the Khajit. A slight, friendly grin started creeping its way to his lips the more odd looks were shot at him. Someone with such a good taste in drink couldn't possibly be as bad as everyone painted her to be, just because of her race.

Besides, he had one more way of finding out what exactly the Khajit was about.

"You a fightin' gal?"

The question didn't startle the Khajit as much as it did surprise her. Her brow knitted in confusion as she turned only half-way to face the shabby-looking, blonde Breton. Slowly, she stopped leaning on her palm and traced her fingers to her lips. Thinking.

"...is the drunken man mad at Khajit?"

"Nah", Cosnach laughed out. "Been too long since I last had a good brawl. So how 'bout a little bet?"

The glint in the icy blue could easily be recognized as mischievousness. At the sound of the challenge, her ears finally perked up along with the corners of her mouth.

"How much?"

"Hundred gold. Ain't got much but that oughta do. You game?"

With no hesitation whatsoever, the Khajit reached her hands to remove her backpack, bow and quill from her back. She tossed them out of the way and they ended up in an empty corner of the inn, bumping against a chair. Her smirk now clear as day, revealing her sharp canines, the Khajit jumped down from her bench."

"Khajit is game."

By now the entire inn was watching the situation unfold. Since the area before the counter and near the front door was the clearest, that's where the odd duo headed with a silent agreement. The mead burning in his stomach gave Cosnach enough confidence to keep his smirk and avoid the freezing blue gaze that remained on his form.

In her amusement, the Khajit seemed highly curious about how this would go. Especially since, despite having invited her to a fight, the Breton was rather relaxed. With one last, lazy step further away from the stranger, Cosnach finally turned towards her with a playful grin.

"This should be easy", they heard from the crowd. "Twelve Septims on good ol' Cosnach."

"...I'm actually betting on the cat."

"What? Look at how small she is!"

"Small, but most likely sly. Their kind is tricky to deal with."

"...don't they have sharp claws?"

"Should we call the guards? What if she pulls a dagger like she did on ol' Weylin?"

Cosnach chuckled.

"We're causing a stir."  
"Is it a bad thing? If folk is bored enough for petty gossip, then folk needs a show, no?"

Her voice was a low purr that felt as though it echoed through Cosnach's entire body, lighting it up with excitement. Accompanied with the challenging look she was giving him he could feel a slight shiver run down his spine.

"Then let's give them a show", he said quietly, his eyes aflame as he readied his fists in front of his body and cracked his neck in preparation.

Before Cosnach could finish drawing a deep breath, the Khajit was dashing towards him. The grin on his face faded as he was drawn into the brawl, attempting to grab the woman's upper body as she whisked by. He wasn't fast enough, however, and the Khajit had quickly moved behind him.

As he felt himself lose his footing upon a kick to his ankles, he cursed the last bottle of mead that he had downed before the stranger had arrived. He barely managed to stop his fall with his arms before hitting his head to the back of a chair. The brown eyes darted around to look for the Khajit, soon finding her as she stepped in front of him.

"Khajit thought this one would be better", she teased. "Does Rava need to be more gentle?"

Cosnach stumbled back to his feet.

"I didn't exactly count on you using tricks."

"Ah, but is Rava's kind not known for using trickery?"

As Cosnach looked up at the Khajit, he realized that the question was a challenge. A challenge to show that he wasn't like the other people, judging her solely for her furred outerior. A glint of hope glimmered in her eyes as she waited for his response, which was soon given with a smile.

"...so Rava's your name, huh? Then... what're ya waiting for, Rava? Fight's not over yet."

With that, he dived in for a punch, ready to receive the rest of the asskicking he knew he was going to get.

* * *

 **A/N: Chapter 1 - Local drunk thinks he's better than everyone.**

 **Based on my main DB, Rava the Khajit. There isn't enough fics with Cosnach in them so I'm writing one now. #besthusband**

 **Cut off the fight since I know I suck at hand to hand fights. Oh well. Coming up next on chapter 2: Cosnach surprisingly whines some more about everyone being jerks.**


	2. Markarth

2

"So you got beaten up by a tiny cat lady."

Cosnach let out an annoyed huff. He turned his head away from his cousin. A mere peek at the man's drooping mustache seemed to be enough to irritate him in his current state. The still ever so slightly throbbing pain on his bruised lip, according to his body, clearly wasn't enough torture for him. For his misfortune he was also graced by the presence of a rather persistent hangover.

He was far beyond the point of throwing up, of course. His drinking habits had gifted him with somewhat of a tolerance, but it could only help him so much. That morning he was cursed with a headache. It wasn't anything too painful to tolerate, but it was very much there, making itself known with a dull pressure against Cosnach's temples.

Imedhnain's arm brushed Cosnach's slightly as the older man sat beside his relative on the edge of the cold stone bridge. Realizing that the man wasn't going to leave just yet, Cosnach groaned.

"You're just sayin' that because you weren't there. Gal's a damn beast, I tell ya", he replied. "Felt like being mauled by a sabercat. Without the claws, thank divines."

"If she was such a great match, how come you're so embarrassed?"

Cosnach bit his lip slightly before sighing.

"Did you stop by just to make fun of me?"

"No. Lisbet heard about the bet too. She thinks it's her money you lost. So she's pretty mad."

"Is she ever not mad tho?"

¨The comment got a slight smirk tugging at Imedhnain's lips, but he was quick to hide it away again. Cosnach watched the smile disappear from the corner of his eye, chuckling lightly.

"Is it the mustache you've grown making you into a damned bore or is it just that witch at Arnleif's?" he joked.

This time his words didn't form a smile. Imedhnain sighed deeply.

"She's not as bad as you think. She's just as frustrated as you are about the shipments. Probably even more so than you. She wants you back to work today."

"Are there any shipments coming in?"

"No, but-"

"Then there's no work for me today, is there?"

In the light of the sunny morning there was no mistaking the cold look on Cosnach's face. Knowing that his words were not a question, but a firm statement, Imedhnain decided to keep his mouth shut, turning away from his cousin for a moment to watch the water flow through the creek down through the Riverside, past the Warrens. The smithery right ahead seemed quiet aside from Ghorza's hurried footsteps as she paced around, seemingly grumbling about how her apprentice had yet again slept in late. Cosnach didn't even need to be at a hearing distance to hear the cussing in his head. His brown eyes followed the flow of the water, watching it roll through the stone until it reached down below the city walls, out of sight. Knowing that the water would keep flowing beyond the walls had a bittersweet taste. Lost in thought, Cosnach was deafened by the roar of the waterfall behind and didn't realize his cousin was talking before the man gently nudged his shoulder. He was holding a loaf of bread.

"Bet you haven't eaten all morning."

Cosnach grinned.

"How much would gold are you willing to bet?"

"Would I win?"

Instead of replying, Cosnach grabbed the bread and took an eager bite. Seemingly satisfied with the answer, Imedhnain patted Cosnach's back and lifted himself up to his feet.

"Well, you're welcome back to work if you change your mind. Try not to slack off all day."

"Save the preaching to the priests."

Rolling his eyes, the man left for work, leaving Cosnach sitting alone on the bridge.

He had contemplated leaving the town a couple times. Just taking what little he owned and leaving to find his fortune, never to look back. Yet one didn't need to be a mage to predict how that would end. He had no weapon to speak of and too little coin to afford enough food for travel. He'd end up as lunch for a pack of wolves or a sabercat in a matter of hours.

The air in Markarth had a taste of smoke and dust all around. Cosnach would have lied if he'd said he didn't find the city beautiful, but the beauty of it was like that of an ancient artifact. It was not to be disturbed, a magnificent piece of craftsmanship with its potential wasted by paranoid people unable to handle the outside world. As the waterfall and river serenaded Cosnach, he kept staring at the spot where the river ducked below the walls. As minutes passed, his nonchalant stare turned into a bitter glare. The headache kept squeezing ahead at his skull, luring the man to close his eyes after a while. A tired sigh slipped his lips as his head tilted a little to the side and his breathing grew slow.

"Is it hurting bad?"

The familiar purr jolted Cosnach awake. The brown eyes looked around a little in confusion, finally finding the furred fellow from last night standing next to him. He yawned a little, rubbing the back of his sore neck before stretching his arms.

"Not as much as my ego", he laughed out with a bitter tone, gaining a rather curious look from the Khajit.

"Rava cannot imagine why", she mumbled. She seemed to hesitate a little before deciding to sit next to the blond man.

"Breton did great in fight. Very sturdy."

"Didn't feel like it", Cosnach replied. His chest seemed to puff out a slightest bit. "Guess I just underestimated you."

"Happens all the time."

There was an evident smile on her features. Taking Cosnach's earlier example, Rava let her eyes roam the sunny scenery ahead, observing the shadows that shifted all around as a cloud hid the sun for a moment. She started swinging her feet back and forth in a childlike manner and Cosnach swore that, had it not been hidden by her cape, her tail would have been making happy little swirls.

"This one really impressed Rava."

Cosnach found himself eyeing the woman up and down. She was wearing her black armor, like yesterday, yet hadn't bothered pulling up the hood of her cloak nor the cowl. The secret was out either way, so there was no reason trying to hide her identity any longer. Yet her openness about the subject surprised Cosnach a little. With the cold comments thrown around last night Cosnach could have sworn that she'd want to hide herself away. He couldn't help but feel a little bit relieved about it. Her face felt like a fresh breath of air in the stale atmosphere of the stone city.

And the compliments certainly didn't hurt his otherwise bitter mood.

Rava's smile soon infected Cosnach, making him grin as he finally turned his head towards the city walls.

"Heh. Likewise."

Neither of them said a thing for a while, just enjoying the warmth provided by the sun. A guard walked over the bridge past them muttering something about loitering and lollygagging under his breath, yet the two ignored him and he continued on his way. Soon after, Cosnach could hear his companion dig around in her small bag, soon shoving a familiar looking shabby coin pouch towards him. Cosnach frowned.

"...are you taunting me?"

As an answer, Rava gave him a determined look and placed the purse on his lap.

"Take it."

"You're giving me my money back? Why?"

"This one looks like he needs it."

"I can't take it", Cosnach groaned. "You won it fair and square."

The Khajit hesitated. Out of instinct, she brought her fingers to her chin, scratching it a little as she pondered. In a matter of seconds the thoughtful look was replaced with a sly, wide grin.

"What if Khajit gives this as payment?"

"For what?"

"Company."

The laughter started with a light chuckle, quickly growing enough to have Cosnach clutching at his stomach and swinging his body back and forth a little in an effort to contain it. All the while Rava was still grinning.

"Do I look like that kind of guy?" the Breton finally managed to chuckle in between bursts of laughter.

"Perhaps a little. Human's bare chest is a little... enticing", Rava purred back, leaning a little towards Cosnach before poking his forehead. "If Rava had his company like that, human would want to pay Rava instead."

The word sparked a light in the brown eyes and with a last chuckle, Cosnach turned to meet the icy blue stare. His smile quickly grew into a mischievious grin.

"Really now? Is that a challenge?"

The black, slitted irises inspected Cosnach up and down as if considering the offer. The man's physique had clearly seen better days, as he was far slimmer and less muscular as he had used to be in his younger days. There were hardly any scars. Just a couple bruises from last night scattered around the pale upper body. For the slightest moment it looked as if Rava was biting her lip, but she was quick to hide it once more.

"Maybe for a later time", she replied. "Now, does... what was this one's name again?"

"Cosnach."

Repeating the name, Rava's voice lingered on each syllable a little longer than she should, as if tasting the letters. Cosnach felt a shiver run through him upon hearing her voice. His name had never sounded better. Done pronouncing, the Khajit tilted her head playfully to the side.

"Well, does Cosnach want to earn some more coin?"

"What'cha got in mind?"

Something in her smile was so child-likely innocent and full of excitement that Cosnach felt like laughing again.

"Come hunt with me."

* * *

 **A/N:** Chapter 2 Aka: Local Drunk And Cat Blatantly Flirt - You Won't Believe What Happens Next!

Had the start of this chapter on my cellphone for a while, finally decided to finish it.


	3. Lover Stone

The mountainside was far greener this time of the year than Cosnach could have recalled. There was surprisingly little gray around, as the little stone that wasn't covered in moss seemed to wear veils of droopy vines hanging from their steep cliffs. The breeze from the snowy peaks brought the souvenir of a slight chill. Several different types of mountain flowers blossomed stubbornly from nearly every little nook and cranny of rugged stone. Butterflies raced from one one batch of flowers to the other, the bright colors of their wings reflecting the sun rays ever so slightly in a way that dyed the world a brilliant hue. The beauty of it all left Cosnach's mouth slightly agape – contrary to popular belief it was not just the exhaustion of the hike getting to him. And it wasn't just the nature catching his attention either.

Rava's stamina had clearly been honed to perfection by her travels, as she had no difficulty climbing up the hill North from Markarth. Cosnach had mentioned a path leading there as they had left town, but the Khajit appeared to have no patience for man-made luxuries. Her muscular legs carried her weight effortlessly. There was an odd air of rough elegance surrounding her – she was clearly in her element breathing the brisk mountain air. Every now and then her ear would twitch ever so slightly and only seconds after Cosnach would see a bird or another critter run out from the bushes and back into hiding. To his surprise, despite coming all the way here to hunt, Rava never stopped at the sight of these critters and kept moving forth. Her goal, he guessed, was something greater than a mere rabbit or a pheasant.

Having reached the top of the hillside, Rava let out a satisfied sigh and turned around to give a glance to her companion. A small smirk made its way on her lips as she eyed the beads of sweat on the blond man's brow. Cosnach didn't care about the slight mockery of her gaze in his exhaustion and took a deep breath, falling to his knees for a brief moment to catch his breath.

"When has this one last gone out properly?"

"Can't even remember", Cosnach laughed out and wiped his forehead with the back of his palm. "That's sure some muscle you got there. Remind me what you need me here for?"

"Like Rava said", she purred, kneeling to match Cosnach's level and patting his shoulder. "Company."

"Some company I am. Can't even keep up a conversation since I get out of breath."

"Perhaps Rava likes the sound of this one out of breath."

Such an obvious flirty comment coming out so nonchalantly caught Cosnach completely off guard. The Breton froze still for a lingering moment before grinning to himself a little. What did it even matter if the Khajit was just messing with him or not? He certainly didn't mind her having a sense of humor.

"Then congrats. You're gonna be seein' plenty of that."

He felt the ice blue tingling on the top of his head and for a moment, felt a temptation to lift his eyes and meet that dazzling blue. Yet before he got a chance, Rava chuckled and patted his head, lifting herself back to her feet.

"Coming?"

Their hike carried on in silence for the most part. Cosnach happily used the opportunity to stay a little behind and let his eyes roam free on the preoccupied huntress. He felt a tinge of bitterness over the fact that Rava's cape seemed to hide not only her legs from his sight but also her tail. He'd been curious about it for a while now, since despite not seeing the tail itself, he could occasionally see the form of one twitching under the light fabric. Had he been the least bit drunk he might have straight up asked to see it, but as things were he just waited for a chance to see a glimpse.

'Is it so damn weird? I've just never seen a Khajit before, that's all', he told himself and bit his lip a little, eyes stopping at where he knew her hips were, were they not hidden by the cape. '...that doesn't explain my cravings for seeing her thighs, though. Damn.'

He shook his head to himself and let out a little sigh. Aside from Moira, Markarth didn't feel like it had any particularly dashing women within its walls – and that specific lady had been rather direct about her lack of interest.

It couldn't have been offensive to be this curious, could it?

Before Cosnach's unspoken question got any answers, however, Rava stopped on her heels making her lost in thought companion bump into her in the process. Cosnach quickly mumbled an apology and backed away a couple steps.

"What is it?"

He got his answer this time by just looking up. They had reached a cliffside with a lone tree and a juniper bush stood around a formation of rocks, right at the edge of the cliff. A small stream ran down from the cliff on the left, the water sparkling in the sunlight, clear as diamonds. The stones were arranged into a half circle with a single stone with a hole through it as the centerpiece. This special stone was framed by two taller stones that almost looked as if they were bending slightly towards it, bowing down at it. The rock surface was worn by time, yet old carvings could faintly be made out on them if you were to approach. Rava seemed to tilt her head as she eyed the stones up and down.

"Rava did not know there was a standing stone here."

"It's the Lover Stone", Cosnach responded with a slightly victorious smirk. At least he had some information to impress the huntress with. "Dunno why they put it here, to be frank. Might have a story behind it."

"Perhaps."

The silence lingered between them as Rava slowly approached the stones, trailing her gloved fingers across the carvings with curiosity. After a while she stopped to look over at the scenery ahead, past the edge of the cliffs. As the sun shone, you could see the mountains at the other side of the river rather clearly. The trees, the moss-covered cliffs, the silhouettes of some old abandoned ruins ahead. A light gust of wind blew through the cliffside and tore lightly at Rava's cape in its wake. The woman smiled and took a deep breath, clearly enjoying the fresh air to the fullest.

"Maybe it is because the view fits."

Her words were quiet and Cosnach could barely hear them. Yet as soon as he opened his mouth to ask about it, the Khajit turned around to face him with a playful grin.

"What stars was Breton born under?"

The curiosity on Cosnach's face melted into awkwardness. He blew air out of his mouth in a huff, scratching the back of his neck.

"...like my birthsign?"

"Yes?"

"...The Lady, I think. Can't recall. Nobody ever asks these things."

Instead of a chuckle, much to his surprise, Cosnach received an approving nod in response.

"It is said those born under The Lady are kind and tolerant", Rava said with a meaningful look in her eyes. "Rava thinks it fits."

Cosnach shook his head.

"Doesn't exactly make me swell with pride, y'know? Would sound way more cool to say... I dunno, The Steed?"

The Khajit bursted into laughter.

"R-Rava..:",she stammered in between breaths and chuckles. "Rava can't imagine why."

"What? Do they say ones under The Steed have a huge-"

"No, no!" the Khajit immediately interrupted, picking up a stick from the ground and throwing it at the man as a signal to shut his mouth. "...well, uh. It is said that they do have good stamina... but Rava has yet to see Cosnach having any."

"Maybe I'm sparing it for something more interesting than hiking."

There was a slight sense of frustration in the fact that Cosnach knew he couldn't read the Khajit's emotions quite as well as he could humans. There was no blush to indicate fluster, so he made a calculated guess over the slight twitch that Rava's ear did. She had to be a little flustered at least, despite how she shook her head in amusement to hide it.

"Well then, lover boy", she chuckled and walked past Cosnach with a sligth bounce to her steps. "Let us get going. Rava would like to hunt."

"You didn't tell me your birthsign."

The huntress froze in the spot for a brief moment before looking at the Breton from over her shoulder, a slightly smug grin on her black face.

"The Lord."

"So... what, are you a noble or something?"

Rava shook her head.

"Rava just enjoys being... in control."

"Maybe this cat just needs some taming", Cosnach nearly whispered in a low voice, a teasing smirk spread on his lips.

There was another twitch of Rava's ear and a slight moment of tenseness to her relaxed posture. She seemed to roll her eyes.

"Breton is welcome to try", she then replied, her voice barely audible, almost getting lost in the breeze that blew through the mountainside.

The rest of the day was spent hiking and chattering away between short pauses for Cosnach to catch his breath. It took quite some time before they found a prey that Rava deemed worthy – an elk with huge horns crowning its head. It was a majestic sight bowing its head down to feed on the grass atop a small hill. Rava already spotted the animal from war away and pointed it out to Cosnach, quickly signaling for him to stay quiet.

"Can Breton sneak?" she whispered, never once taking her eyes off the elk. Cosnach hesitated for a moment. He knew he was a hopeless klutz but the thought of admitting that to Rava felt like a cold shower. She had already beaten him in both fighting and hiking. There had to be at least something he was better at. And with that, he nodded. Only took a few seconds for him to regret it as he soon watched Rava lowering her body and crouching down, almost merging with the shadows of the nearby rocks.

With a couple quick curses murmured to himself, Cosnach sighed and went after her, following her example of sticking close to the rocks. Much to his amazement everything went rather well. He kept mimicking Rava's footsteps to the best of his ability, following the shadows and slowly approaching the hill. He could already feel a bit of pride swelling in his chest and grinned a little. Maybe he wasn't that bad after all. Yet as soon as they were only a rock throw away from the elk, Rava stopped to get her bow from her back.

And in that very moment, Cosnach tripped on a rock.

Startled by the noise, the elk's eyes darted towards the two. A mere two second glance and it sprinted. Rava growled a hasty curse and prepared her bow in a blur of speed, managing to shoot a single green-tipped glass arrow towards the horned creature. The arrow hit its mark but not quite where Rava had hoped. Instead of the chest or neck, it hit its rear.

And it kept running.

The icy blue had never so far felt as piercingly cold as it did right then on Cosnach's skin. The man shivered and gave the Khajit an awkward, apologetic smile.

"S-sorry", he laughed out. "I lost my footing for a-"

Yet before he could even finished, Rava had turned around and ran after the animal. Her footsteps quickly grew distant as she disappeared behind the rocks, out of sight. Cosnach let out a frustrated sigh and slapped his face with his palm.

"Great job there Cosnach, ol' pal", he muttered and slumped his back against a stone, eyes looking up to the skies as if hoping for the Divines to fix his little mistake.

"Now the gal hates you, I bet."

He sat there for quite some time contemplating whether he should go after the Khajit or stay behind and wait for her return. The latter sounded more plausible, as he would most likely just make a mess of her hunting again if he tried to find her. He definitely didn't want to be stabbed with those icy daggers of her glares again. Cosnach groaned and hit the back of his head against the stone, not hard enough to really hurt but roughly enough to feel the impact.

"Should have brought a bottle of mead with me or something", he cursed to himself and watched the fluffy, white clouds drift over the high mountain peaks ahead. He could faintly see the shade of an eagle soaring overhead and couldn't help but smirk to himself.

"You look like the gal a bit. Graceful. And a lil' bit fearsome."

Time kept passing and Cosnach noticed the shadows shifting and growing longer. There was a chill in the air and it chewed on his bare upper body. Cosnach wrapped his arms around himself for warmed and made a face in annoyance. The wait was growing tiresome. He had enough of waiting back in the city every day. He didn't come here to just be left alone with his thoughts once more.

"...why did she even ask me to come along? She didn't ask me if I can hunt or not. It's her own fault for not thinking it through. She should have known I might screw it up."

Yet he remained still and kept waiting for a while longer.

By the time Cosnach finally stood up and started walking, the colorful daytime butterflies had already hidden away in preparation for the night. The blossoming summer eve was filled with the sound of birds singing their sonets to the upcoming twilight. Much like the birds, Cosnach was now searching for his companion as well. Though not quite for the same purpose. The chill left him in a slightly irritated moon as he strolled through the mountainside, looking around feverishly for a glimpse of the black clad Khajit. Though, even with the irritation, the feeling that conquered his brain was not, in fact, frustration.

It was worry.

He couldn't bring himself to call out her name in fear of bandits and forsworn. He knew both were told to roam a lot around the area, so he didn't want to take the risk of getting an arrow to his gut. Not to mention with the sunset approaching all kinds of animals must have been roaming out and about as well. Instead he kept his eyes occupied, looking desperately for any sign of Rava. The sounds of the dusk were growing more and more faint by the minute and the shadows grew larger and larger. The growing darkness increased his stumbling as he hurried his steps and he found himself almost tripping over more than once. His scraped knees did little to bother him, however. In his mind, Cosnach was already starting to panic. Rava was no longer really his main concern, but his own safety instead.

And in his panic, he noticed the first fresh bloodstain on the ground.

It was on a small dirt path that seemed to be leading to a now mist-covered, small pond downhill. In the last rays of the sun, the blood looked almost black and it took a moment for Cosnach to register it as what it was. His heart sunk a little at the realization. What if Rava had gotten into trouble? Maybe she'd been ambushed by the forsworn? The Breton glanced around and listened carefully for the sounds around the area. Nothing. He took a deep, steadying breath and hesitantly called out:

"Rava?"

No answer. Instead his eyes spotted a trail of blood near the first stain, covering the blades of grass near the left hilltop surrounding the path to the pond, going behind a larger rock.

It was no longer just the chill of the night making him shiver.

"...Rava?"

He wasn't sure whether it was stupidity, morbid curiosity or increasing worry urging him to follow the trail but nevertheless, he ventured forth. He kept his footsteps as light as he could muster in case there was danger ahead, yet knowing full well that if there was, he'd be screwed either way. It's not like he had any means of defending himself. And it's not like walking quietly would have been of much use anyway, as Cosnach was certain that the mere sound of his heartbeat was loud enough to be heard anywhere in a 40 feet radius. As he approached the rock, he could vaguely make out the figure of a person on the ground and when he did, his heartbeat was all he could hear.

"Rava?!"

The last few steps almost made him fall over the bow that was hidden amidst the grass in front of him. Cosnach hurried to the bloodied body and almost instantly fell to his knees in front of it, ready to mend to the wounds of the Khajit hunter with skills he never had.

Except it wasn't Rava. Dead and cold in front of him, clad in a leather armor now torn to shreds, was a wood elf hunter.

A male, at that.

Cosnach almost laughed out in relief despite the sickening feeling the gory display was giving him. He sighed, his posture relaxing as he quietly thanked a random Divine with a couple murmured words. Why had he even worried about Rava to begin with? Clearly the Khajit was used to wandering the wilderness. She must have just set up camp somewhere nearby for the night, waiting for him to come find her. Yet, despite his relief, he had an odd feeling of dread in his gut.

Ignoring the feeling as nothing but paranoia from the darkness and exhaustion from the searching, Cosnach stood up and turned around to leave the way he came.

Only to meet the shadowy frame of a bear stood on its hind legs right in front of him.

* * *

A/N: Chapter 3 - Aka. More Obnoxious Flirting By Local Alcoholic And A Cat

I've been really happy about the few comments I've received so far! Thank you a lot! This story has been brewing in my mind for ages so I'm really happy to finally let it out for you all to read. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do writing it! :D

School has been taking a lot of my time and energy lately, so updates will probably be slow for a while, but I'll try and write more next month as my way of participating NaNoWriMo. This is not the only project I'll be writing for, though, just to avoid me getting bored with one project during the month.

But hey, I hope you're all doing well!


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